Pig market remains extremely weak

The pig market is once again not making any progress this week. In Northern Europe, there is stability, but in the meantime, the price in Southern Europe is even under pressure. Unlike the beef and poultry markets, demand is not picking up, and supply remains ample. In Northern Europe, meat prices remain virtually stable. In week 34, prices differed by only a few cents compared to the week before, as shown by data from the European Union. This applies not only to Germany but also to the Netherlands and Denmark. That the summer holidays are now over everywhere brings little momentum for the pig market. Despite the return of consumers, pig prices in the area have remained more or less constant for weeks. The return has mainly managed to stop the decline, but there is still no sign of an increase. Structurally lower demand The reason for this is simple: demand for pork remains weak. Consumers, just like in previous years, still prefer chicken and beef upon their return. Thus, the trend continues whereby the pig market benefits only limitedly in the summer. This year was also a good benchmark year, as the weather was consistently favorable. Even barbecues did not provide an impetus, and this year, rain or cold were no excuses. This confirms the suspicion that the declining demand for pork in recent years is not incidental but structural in nature. Meanwhile, supply in Northern Europe remains strong. In almost all countries, more pigs have been slaughtered so far in 2025 than last year. In Germany, there was a temporary decline: at the beginning of the summer, supply was lower. However, this was compensated by a strong first half of the year. In week 32, the slaughter figure was again 2.5% above last year's level, with a total of about 734,000 pigs. Meanwhile, the Netherlands remains the outlier. Even in week 32, the slaughter figure was again below last year's level. The number of slaughterings is 5.2% lower than last year and came in just below 254,000 pigs. End of summer holidays affects Southern European pricesIn Southern Europe, it has now become evident that the summer holidays are over. Now that tourists are slowly but surely leaving, the pig price in the major production regions is declining. Both in France and in Spain, prices have taken a significant step back, as shown by data from Eurostat. Since week 29, the price of pork in Spain has decreased by 6.2% to €208.15. In France, the price has fallen by 3.9% to €198. Because Italy has not submitted reports to the European Union in recent weeks, the livestock market in Modena serves as the most representative benchmark. It shows that prices, after a sharp increase, have remained stable over the past week. The price of live pigs stands at €1.93 per kilo.